Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Amphibian Species

Scientists in 14 countries on five continents are teaming up to hunt for as many as 100 species of amphibians that are thought to possibly be extinct, but may be surviving in remote corners.

With amphibian populations around the world declining quickly and a third at risk of extinction, the unprecedented search could help scientists better understand the crisis.

“The rapid and profound change to the global environment that has taken place over the last fifty years or so – in particular climate change and habitat loss – has had a devastating impact on these incredible creatures,” Conservation International’s Robin Moore, who has organized the search for IUCN’s Amphibian Specialist Group, said in a press release August 8.

“We’ve arranged this search for ‘lost’ species that we believe may have managed to hang on so that we can get some definite answers – and hopefully learn about what has allowed some tiny populations of certain species to survive when the rest of their species has been lost,” Moore said.

Amphibians have also been suffering from a fungus that causes a disease known as chytridiomycosis, which has already obliterated some species.

In this gallery, see the 10 most wanted lost amphibian species chosen by Moore’s team for their potential scientific or aesthetic value, along with 10 other species that scientists around the world will be searching for. The hunters will be posting updates about their search to Conservation International’s website through October.

Images and captions courtesy of Conservation International.

#1 Golden Toad

Incilius periglenes, Costa Rica. Last seen 1989. Perhaps the most famous of the lost Amphibians. Went from abundant to extinct in a little over a year in the late 1980s.

#2 Gastric Brooding Frog

Rheobatrachus silus (above) and Rheobatrachus vitellinus (right), Australia. Last seen 1985. They had unique mode of reproduction: Females swallowed eggs and raised tadpoles in the stomach. Gave birth to froglets through the mouth.

#3 Mesopotamia Beaked Toad

#4 Jackson’s Climbing Salamander

Bolitoglossa jacksoni, Guatemala. Last seen in 1975. Stunning black and yellow salamander – One of only two known specimens is believed to have been stolen from a Californian laboratory in the mid 1970s.

#8 Scarlet Frog

#9 Hula Painted Frog

Discoglossus nigriventer, Israel. Last seen 1955. A single adult collected in 1955 represents the last confirmed record of the species. Efforts to drain marshlands in Syria to eradicate malaria may have been responsible for the disappearance of this species.